A respected global health leader, Dr. Anarfi Asamoah Baah until recently was the Deputy Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland.
He led Government of Ghana’s Corona Virus response team as the Presidential Coordinator. This was after his appointment in 2020 by Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo when the disease struck in Ghana.
A product of Prempeh College, he attended the University of Ghana Medical School. He undertook his postgraduate program after his house job in Paediatrics at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The Public Health Specialist and Paediatric worked at the St. Patrick’s Hospital in Offinso in the Ashanti Region. Whiles working there, he got involved in the Catholic Church Diocesan Health Programme.
He helped to establish the Primary Health Programme for the district and was appointed the District Medical Officer. He became the Senior Medical Officer in charge of Public Health in the Ashanti Region.
Dr. Asamoah Baah enrolled at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) to pursue a Postgraduate Programme MSc in Community Health in 1989. He also undertook Postgraduate Programmes in Health Planning (Keele University), Health Economics (Aberdeen University) and Health Policy from Wisconsin University, Madison in USA)
He spent a short time as lecturer at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), before returning to Ghana to head the Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Asamoah Baah was appointed as Director of Medical Services, Ghana, which at that time was the highest technical position in the Ministry of Health.
He was instrumental in spearheading health sector reforms in the 90s, and led the team to draft the bill establishing the Ghana Health Service and the establishment of the Food and Drugs Authority. He was also instrumental in setting up the foundation for the establishment of the National Health Insurance (Pilot Projects in Nkoranza, Koforidua and Dodowa). There was also the establishment of the District Health Management Teams and office complex in every district, Ghana Essential Drugs Programme, Ghana Public Health School, Pooled Funding for strengthening district health systems and strong partnership with development partners among other projects.
In 1998, he joined the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Senior Policy Advisor to the then newly appointed Director General, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, and as Co-Chair of her Transition Team.
He held positions such as;
Assistant Director General for Governing Bodies and External Relations (WHO).
Assistant Director General for Health Technology and Pharmaceuticals (WHO).
Assistant Director General of Communicable Diseases (WHO).
Assistant Director General of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Programme.
Upon the election of Dr Margaret Chan in 2007, Dr Asamoah Baah was appointed as the Deputy Director General of the World Health Organization (second in command). He held this position till his retirement in September 2017.
He retired after almost two decades with the UN health body to help groom young professionals for leadership positions, and to also advocate for creating age friendly environments for old people in he country.
Congratulations to Dr. Anarfi Asamoah Baah on his inspiring journey and for breaking barriers and being a trailblazer.